Of the 20 actors and actresses up for theAcademy Awardin both the lead and supporting acting categories, their respective paths to movie’s biggest night have all been unique.
FromAustin Butler’s Disney Channel roots toMichelle Yeohstarring alongsideJackie Chanin a watch commercial, here’s a look at some of the nominees' big breaks — roles that inevitably got them where they are today!
Austin Butler
Nickelodeon; Amy Sussman/WireImage
Before Butler set out to take on what would become an Oscar-nominated performance as Elvis Presley, theactor got his start as a child actorworking on shows likeNed’s Declassified School Survival Guide(2005-2007),Hannah Montana(2006-2007),iCarly(2007) andZoey 101(2007-2008).
Paul Mescal
Enda Bowe/Hulu; Taylor Hill/WireImage
Mescal, who is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance inAftersun, first broke onto the scene with his swoonworthy performance in the 2020 Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel,Normal People.
Michelle Yeoh
Guy Laroche; Monica Schipper/Getty
While Yeoh is clearly a superstar in her own stratosphere,her journey to this pointwas not linear. After more than 40 films (many in the action genre, such asCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), in 2023 she became a first time Oscar nominee for her Lead Role inEverything Everywhere All at Once.
Before her big screen accolades, Yeoh moved to London at 15 from her native Malaysia to study ballet at the Royal Academy of Dance. After a spinal injury derailed her future in dance, she returned home and would later win the Miss Malaysia pageant. From there, she landed a watch commercial with Jackie Chan, pictured above, before being cast in her first movie in Hong Kong:The Owl vs. Bumbo.
Ana de Armas
Globomedia; Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty
Before landing roles on the big screen in films likeWar DogsandBlade Runner 2049, de Armas got her start on the Spanish drama seriesEl Internadoin 2007.
“When the series first became successful,we couldn’t even walk down the street,” de Armas, who is nominated for Best Actress this year for her performance as Marilyn Monroe inBlonde, toldVogueSpainin 2020. “Elena [Furiase, her costar], who has been used to fame all her life, took my hand and knew how to get around an uncomfortable question or a photographer following me.”
Ke Huy Quan
Lucasfilm Ltd/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Quan’s career trajectory is one for the history books. At 12 years old, shortly after moving to Los Angeles from Vietnam with his family, he decided to tag along with his older brother to an open audition forIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
A year later, he went on to appear in another fan favorite,Goonies, but shortly after he made the"very difficult decision" to step away from acting. Two decades later, he returned to the screen in a major way — booking the first role he auditioned for, inEverything Everywhere All at Once. His performance as Waymond Wang has earned the actor numerous accolades, including the nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Angela Bassett
Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stefanie Keenan/Getty
Bassett began her career in theater and on television before moving into film with roles inBoyz n the HoodandMalcom X— but it washer Oscar-nominated role in 1993’sWhat’s Love Got to Do With It, based on the life of Tina Turner, that was a true turning point for her.
29 years later, she’s nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.
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Jamie Lee Curtis
Mary Evans/COMPASS INTERNATIONAL PICTURES/FALCON INTERNATIONAL PRODUC/Ronald Grant/Everett; Monica Schipper/WireImage
As she humorously noted in her “I Am an Actor” speech at the 29th AnnualScreen Actors Guild Awards, Curtis first got her SAG card for her role inOperation Petticoat— a show based off the movie her father,Tony Curtis, had starred in. Though she only worked on the show for a year, she would soon after land her iconic role as Laurie inHalloween– following inher mom, Janet Leigh’s, footsteps as a Scream Queen.
Andrea Riseborough
BBC; Amanda Edwards/Getty
After a small role in the 2006 filmVenus, Riseborough’s first recurring role on television came in the short-lived British television showParty Animalsin 2007. In the years since, she has landed more prominent roles in films includingHappy-Go-Lucky,Never Let Me Go,W.E.,Birdmanand Netflix’sWacomini series. Her role in 2022’sTo Leslieearned the actress her first Oscar nod for Best Actress in a Leading Role — a nomination that came as a surprise to Riseborough herself andraised eyebrows due to star-studded campaigning of the film that took place before voting.
Stephanie Hsu
Jenny Anderson/Getty; Michael Rowe/Getty
Before Hsu’s Oscar-nominated performance inEverything Everywhere All at Once,the actress made a splash on Broadwayin 2017 — originating the role of Karen the Computer inSpongebob Squarepants, the Broadway Musical(pictured above.) On the small screen, Hsu also had recurring roles on Hulu’sThe Path(2016-2018) and more recently onThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Brian Tyree Henry
Guy D’Alema/FX; Amy Sussman/Getty
Henry’s performance as James inCausewayalongside Jennifer Lawrence earned the actor a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. While he has had numerous roles in buzzed-about movies before, includingIf Beale Street Could Talk,Joker,EternalsandBullet Train, his first big gig came in season one ofAtlantain 2016 as Alfred — a role he played for the show’s four seasons.
Barry Keoghan
Beretta/Sims/Shutterstock; Neil Mockford/FilmMagic
This year, he is nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work inThe Banshees of Inisherinalongside fellow Oscar nominees Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon.
The Oscarsair live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET.
source: people.com
